Posts tagged: gold arabesque cutout earrings
05.25.2012 [fri]
Backlogged outfit, added 02.23.2013.
Worn to: date night dinner @ Mukilteo Lodge, Turners w/Kindah and Andrew
Thoughts:
Well I can already tell that I’m just going to want to wear this lovely emerald tote every day! Between the fact that I’m feeling emerald as my color for the season and the fact that emerald will go with every single color in my closet, it’s going to be hard to spread the bag love around. At least for a while ^^
Behind the outfit:
I so enjoyed wearing the slim-tunic-over-flares silhouette on Tuesday that I wore it again today with a sweater dress! Tuesday’s outfit was cool and accessorized white/silver/cool; this time around the outfit is warm so I accessorized black/gold/warm. This sweater dress is pretty long, so today I thought I’d add a belt to shorten it just a touch; it helps balance the proportions, as do the very high heels. I recently bought two leather obi belts, one black and one tan. The tan shade didn’t match the dress’s camel (the tan is cool, the camel warm) so I went with the black. It lines up perfectly with a black stripe, making the belted effect rather subtle even though the belt itself is quite wide and statement-y. It’s my first time wearing an obi belt, and I was pleasantly surprised to find it quite comfy since the leather is super duper soft.
05.13.2012 [sun]
Backlogged outfit, added 02.18.2013.
Worn to: Mother’s day outings: breakfast w/in-laws and (extended family) @ Majestic, picnic w/my family, cake/ice cream/garden planning @ my folks’. Later: dinner from Mikies, Adam over for some TV
Behind the outfit:
We had a very busy Mother’s Day today, complete with full wardrobe changes!
First up was brunch with my husband’s extended family, which I wanted to be dressed nicely for even though it was casual. This fabulous purple sheath and cropped little denim jacket are both gems from the YLF Seattle swap. The dress is very classic (and rather conservative for me) on its own, and needs both dressing down and funking up to feel more like me. So to dress down and casualize the dress I made use of being allowed to wear denim again and popped on my new-to-me cropped denim jacket. And to funk it up a bit I added bright cobalt heels; I just love brights and fun color combinations!
Afterwards we had planned to picnic with my folks and then help my mom with a gardening project, so I changed into gardening-appropriate gear (re-wore yesterday’s outfit). But all of the nearby parks were ridiculously busy so instead we had the picnic at my house on the patio. Then my mom decided to postpone the gardening so I changed BACK into the sheath outfit to go to my folks’ and eat cake!
05.11.2012 [fri]
No Denim Week, Day 5
Backlogged outfit, added 02.15.2013.
Worn to: bank (Key), work, Gene Juarez, date night: dinner (Taphouse) & movie (Avengers)
Thoughts:
I know a structured, heavy cotton pencil skirt isn’t exactly the type of “soft” that my style journey is currently headed, and I’m not even usually into florals (I have only one piece of clothing with flowers, along with a couple of scarves), but I was immediately drawn to the painterly print of this skirt as soon as I saw it. Plus the gorgeous colors! After my soft dressing realization I’d considered returning it since it’s a recent purchase, but I just know I’ll regret letting it go. I’ve been wanting a colorful printed pencil for quite a while now, and I feel like the print adds a softness that nicely contrasts the structure of the skirt. No matter how it’s styled, this skirt will add both softness AND structure to an outfit; so when/if I go off soft dressing again it’ll have good versatility. Because of this, I feel like it’s absolutely deserving of a place in my (ideally) well-curated wardrobe.
Behind the outfit:
With the skirt’s stiffness (both fabrication and cut), I wanted to be sure to pair with a soft top. I’ve been wanting to get this black blouse in all week, as it’s one of my few truly soft tops and this skirt seemed like a natural pairing with it. It picks up nicely on the black in the print as well as my dark hair, though I put my hair up to minimize the amount of black going on around my face.
Initially I thought about wearing my black pumps, but it felt a little too severe/structured. Then I thought about my black skimmer flats, but it felt a little too sweet. These black patent loafers are the perfect match! They add a little masculinity with the shape (though because they aren’t as chunky as a classic loafer they’ve got a more feminine vibe), and a little structure with the material.
As for accessories, I kept things simple; the skirt is enough interest on its own. I chose long gold earrings and an oversized watch, easy-peasy. Leaving off a belt (which works nicely because of the wide skirt band) also helps keep things soft looking. Coupled with the soft blouse and soft print, the overall vibe still feels soft even though there are stiff/structured elements.
04.06.2012 [fri]
Worn to: work, double date w/Kindah and Michael (Tulalip Casino to see Brad Garett, dinner @ Bob’s Burgers, tv at our place)
Sweater: GAP
Belt, watch, earrings: Target
Jeans: Empyre (via Zumiez)
Boots: Miz Mooz “Flynn” (gift)
Trench: Banana Republic (via YLF swap)
Scarf: Steve Madden (via Nordstrom)
Purse: Kate Spade
Shades: Forever 21
Thoughts:
I felt great in this outfit, though felt under dressed at the comedy show. Maybe it had to do with the room being so fancy, or the ushers being in cocktail attire, but even though we were on the dressier end of the patron spectrum both my husband and I felt like we should’ve dressed much nicer!
Behind the outfit:
Yes I know I wore these boots only two days ago but after the comments I got yesterday, I just wanted to wear some of my favorite things today! And I really love how they look over my black skinnies, so I formed the outfit around that. I definitely prefer to have a good dose of lightness with this pairing, and today I was feeling like wearing something especially light so I chose this cream and navy sweater. It drapes really well, so I enjoy semi-tucking it and did so today. I added the coral skinny belt for a little pop of color, and also because I’m enjoying filling belt loops with slim belts these days. Gold earrings for added warmth, white watch for added brightness, and hair down to play into the outfit’s softness.
04.04.2012 [wed]
Worn to: work
Dress: Old Navy
Belt: Vans
Tights: DKNY (gift)
Boots: Miz Mooz “Flynn” (gift)
Earrings, watch: Target
Trench: Banana Republic (via YLF swap)
Scarf: Steve Madden (via Nordstrom)
Purse: Kate Spade
Shades: Forever 21
Thoughts:
While I’ve put away nearly all of my winter items, these nude boots are going to stay out until the last possible second! I’m guessing around mid-April; the color could certainly be used all year but, regardless of color, tall boots just don’t feel springy enough to me. I do see plenty of women wearing their tall boots all the way up until the start of summer around here because our springs are just ridiculously cold and wet. If it stays really cool I may leave them out until the end of the month, but we’ll see how the weather goes.
Behind the outfit:
In light of wearing some cooler weather items, today I wanted to wear this spring dress with my nude boots again while I can because I just love the combo! Not quite warm enough to skip the hose, so I wore my trusty nude fishnets. To lighten the look up I added an ivory studded belt and white watch, and there’s a small peek of white camisole as well. I thought about a necklace, but I think I’mm starting to feel a bit off them after wearing so many pendants this past winter. So instead I put my hair up and went with long dangly gold earrings!
(And because it’s much colder than that sun may lead you to think, I of course needed a coat. To keep it light, I added my taupe scarf which picks up on the light boots and helps to bookend them against the dark coat/hair. And the bright orange purse is just fun ^^)
03.24.2012 [sat]
Worn to: ride to lunch (Z’s Burger)
Dress, earrings: Target
Heels: Apostrophe (via Sears)
Watch: Timex (via Target)
Purse: Coach (gift)
Riding gear - jeans: Shift, jacket: River Road, helmet: Scorpion, gloves: Fieldsheer
Thoughts:
We had a nice warm day today, though not as warm as I was hoping for. The weather man said it’d be 60F, but it only got to around 53F in my area. The dress with bare legs was a bit ambitious for the weather but it still felt good to wear, if a little chilly. I usually don’t start joining my husband on the motorcycle until it’s above 60F because my gear is all summery and perforated (lets lots of wind through), but David and I were just itching to be outside so we took the bike out to get burgers. I promise I nearly always wear riding boots, but the burger place is just a few miles from us so I decided to risk it and just wear my heels (pattern mixing!).
So. Motorcycle outfits are my biggest wardrobe challenge. For the first couple years, I was wearing tees and braiding my hair, and just felt super frumpy when we got to where we were going because the only change was that the gloves and helmet (sometimes jacket) came off. Last year I started wearing woven button-up shirts, tossing my hair up in my high pony, and swapping to cute shoes when off the bike, all of which helped dramatically. This year I am planning to replace my boots (not seen here, but they’re black mid-calf with a WIDE wide ankle and square toes; not cute) with something more stylish, and I’ve got my eye on a cognac wedged pair that I hope to buy soon. Next year I hope to replace my jacket with something smaller and more nipped in at the waist; this jacket is a bit large for me and I always feel like I’m swimming in it, but the quality is very good so I’ve been reluctant to replace it.
In addition to wearing woven tops, I’ve been wanting to try wearing dresses and was happy to get a chance to try today; once we get where we’re going, I can (theoretically) pop off the riding jeans and swap shoes and voila! No longer wearing gear. I took the earrings off during the ride (never wear them while riding after losing a diamond stud taking my helmet off to start the San Francisco trip last year *sniff*), then put them and my hair together once we got there. I think with a little practice I’ll be able to get those riding jeans on and off without needing to duck into a bathroom like I did today, but I have to say I’m really happy with how great this dress worked out for our short ride today!
Backlogged outfits update: Feb 24th | Feb 25th | Feb 27th | Feb 29th | March 4th (dirt biking)
Also, I added a formula for the transitional outfit from February 22nd.
And lastly, I added a cute video of my kitty to yesterday’s outfit post that I took after getting my outfit photos. I’ve been letting him outside with me while taking them this week, and he’s been loving it!
Off topic and for fun:
Did a bit of brewing in the evening (well, my husband did anyway!), an English Pale Ale. Should be nice and light for our (hopefully) upcoming warm spring weather.




03.16.2012 [fri]
Worn to: work, date night dinner @ The Majestic
Dress: Old Navy
Belt: thrifted
Tights: Forever 21
Booties: Nine West (outlet)
Earrings, scarf: Target
Watch: Timex (via Target)
Trench: Banana Republic (via YLF swap)
Purse: Michael Kors
Behind the outfit:
Today I wanted to find a way to transitionalize/winterize this dress (can’t wait to wear it bare legged if it ever warms up). The cut is easy to winterize, but since it’s a light jersey if I make the rest of the outfit too heavy it’s going to feel a little seasonally confused. So first I chose my finest gauge winter tights which, as an added bonus in this case, are gray; black would be much heavier looking, and I rather like the softer effect of the gray.
Instead of wearing tall boots, I decided to wear these ankle booties for several reasons primarily relating to the fact that the dress is midi length: the gray keeps them low contrast against the tights which lengthens the leg line as does the heel (especially useful with the midi length), the sleeker cut and peep toe makes them more springy looking, and I love how booties look with dresses ^^ Low contrast flats or pumps would also work here.
I don’t have a problem with the low neckline of this dress, but after winterizing the bottom half I decided to add the black camisole to help balance it. Since this dress has an elasticized waist which I generally like to cover with belts, I took the opportunity to add another dark element. After trying most of my belts I settled on this one, partially because it was one of the few that’s small enough to wear at my waist, and partially because I liked the toughness it added. I chose my black watch to keep with the dark accessories theme, and these gold dangly earrings to pick up on the brass from the belt.
03.10.2012 [sat]
Worn to: breakfast (Red Cup Cafe)
Sweater: GAP
Jeans: Empyre (via Zumiez)
Boots: Miz Mooz “Flynn” (gift)
Earrings: Target
Watch: Anne Klein (gift)
Trench: Banana Republic (via YLF swap)
Scarf: Old Navy
Purse: Michael Kors
Behind the outfit:
This morning I needed a quick casual outfit so I went to my easy-winter-sweater formula, but subbed in some lighter pieces because honestly I’m getting a bit weary of wearing my winter darks: light tall boots give a big block of lightness, gold watch and earrings to add some warm tones, and white-based printed scarf add an extra shot of lightness to the outerwear. I also rather liked how the blue-green shirt is a blend of both colors in the scarf.
03.08.2012 [thu]
Worn to: bank, work, out to dinner @ Mainstreet Alehouse
Tee: JCrew (outlet)
Blazer: H&M
Jeans, heels, earrings: Target
Watch: Anne Klein (gift)
Shades: Forever 21
Purse: Michael Kors
Thoughts:
Had a shot at some warm weather today, almost up to 60F! Definitely dressed to fit my mood today, and I felt fantastic in this outfit. It got me really excited and looking forward to summery weather! I also got a great compliment on this outfit from the bank teller, who also asked how I keep my blazer so white; I was a bit surprised and told him “dry cleaning” though I guess the truest answer would’ve been “luck”!
In addition, it felt great to give my feet a head start on no-sock shoeing. Do you all need to do that at the start of the warm weather season too? It takes me a good handful of outings at the start of spring to get my feet prepped for wearing my pumps and sandals sans socks. My feet did OK today, but they are definitely still in winter mode.
(Also finished up two more polishes to round out my first mini collection plus one extra, will post them all tomorrow!)
Behind the outfit:
With the warm weather today, I was in the mood to wear my white blazer. So I thought I’d flex my warm weather dressing muscles a bit and sport one of my favorite brights to pair with white: orange! Usually in warm weather I like the color combo of white+orange+faded blue denim but since we’re not technically in spring yet, I went with an icy gray instead of the faded blue denim to keep things looking somewhat in the realm of winter. I did want the overall outfit feeling to be light so kept the shoes low contrast, and added just a little bit of warmth with gold accessories (earrings, watch).